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Planning legislation to help boost biodiversity
New planning rules to boostand protect natural habitat on the site of development projects could help to halt the decline of British wildlife. The legislation became mandatory in England from January and now forms part of planning regulations under the Town and Country Planning Act. Biodiversity rules are also to be introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The new planning rules in England, centred on the concept of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), oblige developers to not only protect habitat on site, but also demonstrate measures to boost biodiversity by 10 per cent.
Conservation charities say the legislation is long overdue. The State of Nature Report 2023 said that the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world: 16 per cent of species are threatened with extinction from Great Britain. Homebuilding and urban development are often cited as factors in these declines.
“All new developments should aim to be biodiverse and create green infrastructure, such as pollinator-rich gardens, native trees and new hedgerows,” says Rachel Hackett, Living Landscape Development Manager at the Wildlife Trusts. “If done well BNG will offer a positive step forward in the way we think about nature and development in a more integrated way. But adding just 10 per cent more wildlife in a time of nature crisis is not enough. We want to see developers go beyond the minimum and aim for at least a 20 per cent gain for nature, with every single infrastructure project having a positive impact.”
Ahead of the new legislation, homebuilders have set up the Future Homes Hub – a scheme to promote joint working between builders, local government and conservation charities.
Many larger housing developers have already seized the initiative. “We’ve been in partnership with the RSPB since 2016,” says Helen Nyul, Head of Biodiversity at Barratt Developments. “It began at Kingsbrook – a 2,450-home development near Aylesbury where around 60 per cent of the development is green space, with community orchards, meadows and a range of habitat features.”
Similarly, the Vistry Group has been working with charities to create habitats for bumblebees and bats within its developments,
